Here’s Why You Don’t Hire Based on Traditional Roles

by Allison Todd | Guest Contributor | BUSINESS

Instead, ask candidates the problem the business wants to solve.

The recruitment world has used the same formula since the dawn of time:

1. Open a vacant position 
2. Research the company’s wants and needs
3. Post a job description across multiple job boards
4. Host interviews after shortlisting successful candidates
5. Hire the right fit

But the truth is, as time evolves, that candidate will outgrow that position. It’s the corporate circle of life. And when that happens, we simply rinse and repeat.

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Isn’t it time to stop rinsing? There’s only so many washes any business can handle. 

So, why don’t we, rather than recruiting and hiring based on traditional roles, hire based on a candidate’s potential and problem-solving skills?

It may sound unorthodox, and it’s understandable if this idea is met with resistance. But there’s so much promise by taking this approach. 

If hiring according to a candidate’s potential and overall problem-solving skills rather than traditional roles doesn’t sit right with you, hear me out. Many started this article having that same opinion. By the end, with an open mind, the possibility of adjusting our hiring beliefs became a reality.

Why We Shouldn’t Hire Based on Traditional Roles
When a company opens a vacancy, it’s common practice to post a job advertisement looking for someone to fill that exact role and adopt an identical title. As such, more often than not, the same kind of person filled the role. 

When you’re looking at job vacancies, have you noticed that the same job titles and language use crop up time and time again? That leads to the same type of person filling said role, and thus, eventually leaving that role. 

But what’s the problem with this? 

Well, when corporations post traditional roles like ‘nanny’, ‘teacher’, ‘website designer’ and so on, we’re not allowing candidates the room to grow. We’re placing our potential employees in a very small box that may, in the future, no longer serve the company’s needs. In short, we’re adding an expiration date to their time in the company. Whether it’s down to the company saying ‘we no longer need this role’ or the employee saying ‘I feel like I’ve outgrown this role’, either way ends in the loss of talent. 

Let’s, for a moment, look at some ‘traditional’ job roles. 

• Social media manager - A social media manager relies on the use of social media for their role. Often, a social media manager will work alongside a marketing team to best represent the brand on platforms like Facebook, Instagram, and even TikTok. But what happens when the social media accounts have grown substantially? 
• Graphic/website designer - Many graphic designers have degrees, which shows their capability. If a company hired a graphic designer to design their website, what happens to the employee once the website has been designed? There’s no guarantee that they’d be asked to design other elements.  

The problem isn’t something forged out of opinion. The statistics demonstrate it best. In the United States, it costs a company, on average, $4,129 to fill every open vacancy. This demonstrates that we’ve got it wrong. We should be keeping our employees for longer, allowing them to stretch their potential and ensuring we nurture their growth. Not only does this cultivate a more enjoyable place to work, but we’re not clipping our employee’s wings before they can fly. 

A New Approach to Hiring
So, how can we reduce the average cost-per-hire statistic? Essentially, we need to make the most out of our employees. Each candidate will have far more potential and capability than what was solely applied for. 

Rather than placing such a large focus on analyzing resumes and looking for direct experience to fill a traditional role, we should, instead, assess how a candidate responds to the problem a business wants to solve. A candidate’s ability to solve problems far outweighs their experience and education levels. 

Rather than asking questions during the interview process that are designed to "trip them up," ask them questions that truly matter. Spend some time gathering and researching the questions that will best represent the right culture fit within the organization. 

You’re allowing candidates to think confidently and on their feet. This provides raw answers that they genuinely mean, rather than something they rehearsed. It also demonstrates that you value your employee’s growth and capabilities, rather than just their degree. 

Face the Future Head on, and Reap the Recruitment Benefits
We’ve outgrown the hiring method of open, source, post, fill, repeat. 

In 2022, we’re welcoming the new hiring method: recruiting based on capability for growth, rather than restricting applicants to a single role. 

This is healthy for your company, the candidate, and the attitude of recruitment as a whole. 

So, leave "rinse and repeat" in the past. It’s time to move on to the new era of hiring.

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About the author:

Allison Todd

Allison Todd is a coach and consultant with over 20 years of experience transforming small and large businesses' operations and profitability. Whether it’s beginning, launching, or scaling a business, Allison founded her coaching and mentoring business with the hopes of helping clients conquer their fears and build confidence to take their business to the next level.

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